Wire bending tool



1957 H. R. PETERSON 2,811,064

' WIRE BENDING TOOL Filed May '7, 1956 J n1/rzfaf 6 1747 014 E Peterson United States Patent WIRE BENDING TOOL Harold R. Peterson, Chicago, 111., assignor to Brock Equipment Company, a partnership Application May 7, 1956, Serial N 0. 583,153

6 Claims. (CI. 81-15) This invention relates to a hand tool and, more particularly, to a hand tool for bending wire and the like.

It is the general object of this invention to provide a new and improved wire bending tool.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved wire bending tool which may provide a smooth even bend in a wire up to approximately 180 and which is very simple to operate and very economical to produce.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved wire bending tool including a pair of lever members provided with long handle portions at one end, means pivotally connecting the levers together adjacent the other ends, a wire holding head carried on the short end of one lever member and a cooperating wire bending die carried on the short end of the other lever member.

A more detailed object of this invention is to provide a new and improved wire bending tool of the character described wherein said wire holding head includes a series of bores varying progressively in size and adapted to receive difierent size straight wires to be bent, and wherein the wire bending die includes a series of annular grooves corresponding in size to the bores in the head, the bending die engaging the straight wire positioned in one of the bores and bending the wire back over the head as the two levers are pivoted together.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention with the lever members pivoted apart in their wire receiving position and a straight wire positioned in one of the bores in the holding head;

Fig. 2 is a view taken generally along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view with the two handle members pivoted together and showing the wire bent approximately 180"; and

Fig. 4 is a view taken generally along line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

While the invention herein described is a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific form and arrangement shown, it being contemplated that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings there is shown a wire bending tool including a pair of lever members 11 and 12. The lever member 11 includes a long handle portion 13 and a bifurcated end portion including a pair of laterally spaced arms 14 and 15. The lever member 12 includes a rod 16 forming a handle portion and having one end 17 secured in a bore 19 in a wire holding head 18 by means of a pin 20.

The lever members 11 and 12 are pivotally connected together by a pin or bolt 21 extending through the wire holding head 18 of lever member 12 and the arms 14 and of the lever member 11. The head 18 has a wire receiving portion 23 provided with a series of bores, a, b, c', d, and e, laterally spaced thereon and decreasing progress ively in size from left to right as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In order to bend a wire received in one of the bores in the holding head 18, a wire bending die 25 is rotatably mounted between the ends of the arms 14 and 15 of the lever member 11 by means of a pair of pins 26 and 27 projecting integrally from opposite ends of the die and fitting rotatably in openings in the arms 14 and 15. The

bending die 25 is generally cylindrical in shape and has laterally spaced thereon a series of annular grooves,

a, b, c', d and 2' corresponding in size to the bores, a,

b, c, d and 2 formed in the holding head 18.

In describing the operation of this tool, it is arranged to form a 180 bend in a straight wire or length of rod 30, having a diameter approximately the same as the bore a. The lever members 11 and 12 are first pivoted apart to the position shown in Fig. 1. The wire 30 is then inserted in the bore a so as to extend substantially parallel to the lever 11 and over the wire bending die 25. The

handle portions of the lever members are then pivoted to-' gether towards their positions in Fig. 3 so that the groove a. on the die 25 first engages the wire 30 and bends the wire 30 back over the wire receiving portion 23, thus providing approximately a 180 bend in the wire 30. The handle portions of lever members 11 and 12 are then pivoted apart and the bent wire 30 is removed from the holding head 18.

In order to provide the most desirable bend in the wire, the outer edges of the bores a, b, c, d and e' are rounded and an edge 31 on the wire receiving portion 23 about which the wire is bent is also rounded. As the lever members 11 and 12 are relatively long, very little force is needed to provide the desired bend in a rather stilt wire or rod.

It is noted that in the wire bending tool disclosed herein the initial bending force is applied transversely to the the wire against the outer surface of the head 18 and, thus,

provide a bend in the wire 30.

I claim:

1. A wire bending tool comprising: a first lever member carrying a head on one end and having a handle portion at the other end, said head having a series of wire receiving bores formed therein decreasing progressively in size, a second lever member having a handle portion at one end, a curved surface bending die mounted on the other end of said second lever member and having a plurality of annular grooves formed thereon corresponding in size to said bores, and means for pivotably mounting the head end of said first lever member intermediate said bores and said handle portion to the die end of said second lever member intermediate said bending die and said handle portion with the bending die located arcuately beyond said head so that pivoting said two handle portions together with a straight wire positioned in one of said bores will bend the wire back over said head.

2. A wire bending tool comprising: a first lever having a bifurcated end portion and a handle portion, a die member mounted between the ends of said bifurcated portion and having a series of annular grooves formed thereon, a second lever forming a handle portion, a head carried on one end of said second lever member and having a series of bores formed therein corresponding in size to said annular grooves on said die member, means for pivotably mounting said head between the ends of said bifurcated portion and spaced from said die member toward said handle portion, said head being so positioned when the two handle portions are in an open posi- Patented Oct. 29, 1957 a 3 tion that a. straight wire disposed in one of said bores extends substantially parallel to said first handle portion past the corresponding groove in sm'd die member so that when the two handle portions are pivoted toward each other said head passes adjacent the surface of said die member closest to said handle portion and said die member bends the wire back over said head to provide an approximately 180 bend therein.

3.. A wire bending tool of the type described in claim 2 wherein the initial bending force is applied to the wire by said die member is a transverse force and the final bending force is applied generally parallel to the wire as the die is moving relatively generally parallel to the head to force the wire tightly against the outer surface of the head. 7

4. A wire bending tool comprising: a pair of members pivotably connected together adjacent one end to provide a pair of relatively long handle portions and a pair of relatively short lever arms, a wire holding head carried on one of said lever arms andincluding a laterally extending series of wire receiving bores varying progressively in size, a bending die carried on the other lever arm and having a series of annular grooves corresponding in size with said bores and disposed in alignment therewith, said bores being arranged to extend substantially parallel to said die carrying member in a first apart position of said handle portions with .a straight wire positioned in one of said bores extending past said die, said handle portions being adapted to be pivoted toward each other to a second position wherein said head engages said die with said bores extending generally normal to said die carrying member, the wire positioned in said one bore being engaged by the corresponding groove in said die and bent back over said head to a position between said die and said head as said handle portions are pivoted from said first position to said second position.

5. A wire bending tool comprising: an enlongated member having a relatively long handle portion at one end and a bifurcated portion at the other end, a bending die mounted between the ends of said bifurcated portion and having a wire engaging surface formed thereon, a wire holding head having bore means for receiving a wire to be bent, means pivotably mounting said head between 4 said bifurcated portion intermediate said handle portion and said bending die for rotation between a first position wherein said bore means extend generally parallel to said elongated member and open toward said bending die and a second position against said bending die and disposed toward said handle portion wherein said bore means extend generally normal to said elongated member, and a relatively long handle member having one end secured to said wire holding head, said handle members being adapted to be pivoted toward each other to facilitate pivoting said holding head relative to said bending die, a straight wire disposed in said bore means in said first position of said holding head engaging said bending die and being bent toward andagainst the outer surface of said holding head as said head is rotated to said second position, the bending force on the wire varying from an initial transverse force to a final generally parallel force.

6. A wire bending tool comprising: a first lever member having a wire grasping and retaining head at one end and a handle at the other end, a second lever member having a handle portion at one end and a bending die having a curved surface at the other end, and means for pivotally mounting said levers together about an axis in scissors fashion with the bending die located a greater distance from the axis than the head so that the head can pass between the axis and the die, the 1evers, head and die being pivotally movable from one position wherein a wire in the head extends adjacent to the curved surface of said die to a second position wherein the head passes inwardly of the die to bend the wire back over the head and forms a bend in the wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent -UNITED STATES PATENTS 

